Portugal and Spain

1753-1763

Most of the information which has provided the clues to Reggio's life have come from the annotations in his own manuscripts.
There are no manuscripts which cover the period 1750-1767. It appears that he did not compose any music during this time.

However, in a dedication to a manuscript sent to the King of Portugal
in 1770 Reggio again gives some clues to his life some ten years
earlier. From consideration of this information I have compiled the
following about his life during this period.

In 1770 Reggio sent a copy of his Concertini per Quatro Voci to the King of Portugal. Attached to this manuscript is a dedication which provides a very important clue.

This is the only document, found
to date, which includes Reggio’s signature.

‘As a sign
of my deep allegiance to your majesty, originated in large part by the clemency
with which you welcomed me when, from the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XIV, I was
destined to convey the Cardinal’s Beretta to Cardinal Tempi, apostolic nuncio
to your majesty, I come with humility to your Royal throne these ‘Concerti da
Camera’ composed by me in recent months, with hope that V. M. will kindly
appreciate them, more concerned than the insignificance of the gift, is the
nature with which I introduce myself to you.And making a deep bow, I eternally declare myself.’

The reference to the
Cardinal’s ‘Beretta’ refers back to 1754 when Archbishop Luca Melchiore Tempi Tempi who was the Nuncio at the time being made
cardinal for his service in Portugal.
The investiture is recorded in a contemporary French court circular dated
November 1754. The report gives details of the audience with the pope on 28th
November where he invested eleven cardinals, including Tempi. The article makes
reference to the carrying of the cardinal’s ‘Beretta’ by Reggio:

(Despatched the same
day the couriers of Cardinals …to
announce the news of their promotion. The ‘Beretta’ was carried for Cardinal
Tempi by Don Antonio Reggio)

From this statement we can
see that Reggio was the courier to the nunciature. Reggio was entrusted with the
task of carrying back to Lisbon
the cardinal’s ‘Beretta’ to Cardinal Tempi as a notification of his promotion.

This is also mentioned in a note in a note to Eustachio duca di Laviefuille, Viceré di Sicilia dal 1747 al 1753,held
in the Archivio di Stato di Napoli, dated 15 December 1753,

On behalf of the king I ask your excellence that takes this, in
holidaysthe abbeys and the benefits of
this realm to the abate Don Antonio Reggio.... who is in Rome, intended by the
Pope to deliver the Cardinal’s Berretta to the current Nuncio in Portugal.

Tempi’s successor was Archbishop Fillipo Acciaiuoli, Reggio probably
remained in Acciaiuoli’s service until the nuncio was forcibly expelled from Lisbon in 1759 because of his involvement in the dispute with
the suppression of the Jesuits in Portugal.

Reggio was resident in Rome and travelled
to Lisbon every
two weeks. After Acciaiuoli’s expulsion as nuncio the role was taken over by
the Nuncio to the Spanish court, Girolamo Spinola who was nuncio from 1754
to 1759 being replaced by Lazaro Pallavinco,. The dual role of Nuncio to Lisbon continued until
1763.

It is probable that Reggio was
courier to both courts during this time as it would make sense for the Vatican
to appoint one courier for both nunciaturas as he would have to travel through
both countries.

In 1763 Reggio relinquished his status of Abate with the ‘benefici
ecclesiastici’, the monastery of
Sant’Angelo di Brolo. This coincides with the end of the period which
Pallavinco acted as nuncio to Lisbon.Probable this was when Reggio was promoted to
Monsignor for his work in Portugal.

It
is important to distinguish the difference in the names Antonio and
Antonino. In parts of Italy Antonino is the diminutive of Antonio and
used as a pet name within the family, In Sicily Antonino is a perfectly
usual first name. It would appear that Antonino adopted the name
Antonino, when in Rome, (see signature on Ajuda dedication) to avoid
the confusion.